Lancaster County Unincorporated, Virginia · District

M-1

Industrial, Limited

Dimensional standards

M-1 lot requirementsSTREETSTREETFront 250 ftRear 250 ftSide 250 ftStreet side 250 ftMAX HEIGHT15 ft
Plan view of the district’s stated lot requirements. Solid line: the property line. Dashed: the setback lines the ordinance imposes; a building must stay inside the tinted envelope. Drawn from the figures extracted below — illustrative, not a survey.

Uses

Permitted by right23

Conditional / special use1

Extracted standards

15 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.

Noise

  • Maximum construction noise85 dba

    Noise levels during construction must not exceed an average over the work day of 85 decibels (dba) as measured at the boundary lines of the leased or owned area.

  • Maximum operational noise65 dba

    Inverter and other equipment noise shall not exceed 65 decibels (dba) when measured from the property line or project area boundary, whichever is greater.

Other

  • Abandonment period24 months

    In the event that the site is abandoned, idle, not being maintained, or not sending electrons to the grid, for a period exceeding 24 months, the owner and/or the operator shall have six months in which to either accomplish the decommissioning plan or bring the facility back up to the required standards.

  • Construction hours

    Construction hours shall be limited to between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm, Monday through Saturday.

  • Decommissioning plan required

    A Decommissioning Plan, detailing how the site will be returned to the pre-development state, shall be submitted during the application process and be filed with Zoning Administrator, if approved.

  • Emergency plan required

    An Emergency Plan shall be presented, which addresses possible hazards.

  • Glare restriction

    The solar panels shall be of a non-reflective type and the facility must be designed and operated to prevent the direction of concentrated solar radiation or glare onto neighboring properties and public roads.

  • Liability insurance required

    The owner/operator shall provide proof of adequate liability insurance for a solar facility prior to the issuance of zoning and building permits.

  • Fenced areas must be 250 feet from the edge of a public right of way.

  • Fenced areas bordering a residential district shall require a 500-foot setback.

  • Fenced area of solar arrays shall be a minimum of 250 feet, measured in a horizontal plane, from the edge of tidal and non-tidal wetlands and streams.

  • Utility scale solar requires special exception

    May be permitted only with a Special Exception approved by the Lancaster Board of Supervisors in Districts A-1, Agricultural, Limited; A-2, Agricultural, General; and M-1, Industrial, Limited.

  • Vegetated buffer width40 ft

    a vegetated buffer a minimum of 40 feet in width is required within the setback area

Signage

From the ordinance

May be permitted only with a Special Exception approved by the Lancaster Board of Supervisors in Districts A-1, Agricultural, Limited; A-2, Agricultural, General; and M-1, Industrial, Limited. ... Front, side, and rear setbacks shall be a minimum of 250 feet from fenced areas. ... The height of ground mounted utility scale solar facilities shall not exceed 15 feet in height when oriented at maximum tilt.
Article 28, Sec. 28-5-1, 28-5-2(C), 28-5-3

Use details

{
  "dropped_conditions": {
    "permitted_uses": [
      "Manufacture, compounding, assembling or treatment of articles of merchandise from the following previously prepared materials: bone, cellophane, canvas, cloth, cork, feathers, felt, fiber, fur, glass, hair, horn, leather, paper, plastic, precious or semiprecious metals, or stones, shell, straw, textiles, tobacco, wood, yarn, and paint"
    ]
  }
}